Thursday, 23 August 2012

Placement Perils

I
recently completed my end-of-first-year, two and a half month
placement, and you may recall from the unapologetic outpouring of my
last post that I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Enjoyment and
enlightenment aside however, by the end of those seemingly never-ending
ten weeks I was more than ready for some much-needed R&R.I
have had three placements to date, and it seems to me that no matter
how many placements you have under your belt, or where you are in your
training, it’s always a struggle trying to maintain some semblance of
physical and mental stability whilst out in practice. So with this in
mind, I’ve decided to make a shortlist of some of the regular pitfalls I
encounter on a placement-to-placement basis. In no particular order,
here are my top six.

Healing
hands?! - Whilst I like to think that my red, flaky, tired-looking
hands are testament to my well-developed and effective hand-washing
technique, it would be nice if they didn’t look ten years older than the
rest of me! As the lovely Sarah Morbey once advised, having a small tube of hand cream on you at all times is a must!

Sleepless
in Studentnurseville - Random shift patterns combined with frequent
periods of insomnia leads to a semi-permanent state of sleep
deprivation, as well as an uncanny likeness to an extra from The Walking
Dead!

Excessive
caffeine consumption - I love coffee, but the effects of my
aforementioned sleep deficits often call for something stronger, and
before I know it I’ve gone though two packs of ProPlus in a week - NOT
something I recommend. Fortunately I learned my lesson during my last
placement where I earned the nickname Taz, and have swapped the
tachycardia-inducing tabs for a much-healthier morning bowl of museli instead.

Thirst
aid - Most healthcare professionals struggle with drinking enough
whilst on shift, yet we manage perfectly well when it comes to
monitoring and maintaining the fluid balance of our patients. It’s not
uncommon for me to finish a shift suffering with a belting headache, and
convinced that I have the beginnings of what must be a UTI.

Thank-you
treats - I’d be lying if I said my healthyish lifestyle doesn’t take a
bit of a battering whilst I’m on placement, and the constant provision
of biscuits and choccies combined with few and far between gym visits
pretty much ensures that I’ll finish placement at least two pounds
heavier than when I started. It’s a hard life!

Illness
- There reaches a point on every placement when the combination of all
of the above leaves me feeling weary and rundown, and prone to picking
up a head cold or two along the way. Fortunately these are usually
fleeting and I’m back to being nursing fit within only a few days.

Two
weeks into my annual leave and 5am get-ups and endless uniform-ironing
stints are but a distant memory, no sooner will I be back at university
and into my usual uni routine than it will be time to go back out into
practice and do it all over again, and I'm too happy to oblige.

I just discovered your blog via twitter. I do the social media and online stuff for the maternal health charity Life for African Mothers.

I really like your blog. I have been qualified for over 6 years now and wish I had done something like this. What really surprised me is the encouraging and positive things I have read on some of your posts. I'm so pleased you enjoyed your first year. Keep at it year 2 is a tough one and year 3 is the 'I'm so close year!'

I love your other blog recommendations and I think other students will really benefit from your blog.

About Me

Newly-qualified adult-field nurse, avid NHS supporter, social-media advocate, blogger, and feminist: obsessed with all things nursing, coffee, carbs, and dogs! Once a student-nurse blog, the aim now is to chronicle my journey as a NQN and beyond. You can contact me on florencenursingtales@gmail.com